Bactrim is a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (both of them are popular antibiotics that are used in the treating of several types of bacterial infections). This drug has proven to be very useful in the treatment of bronchitis, Urinary Tract Infections, traveler’s diarrhea, otitis (ear infections), and Pneumocystis carinii (a type of Pneumonia).

Bactrim Indications

Bactrim is a popular drug that has been successfully prescribed to patients who were suffering from otitis, Urinary Tract Infections, traveler’s diarrhea, some types of pneumonia, etc. However, this medicine can also be prescribed to treat other disorders that have not been listed here.

Bactrim Warnings

Before you start taking Bactrim you must alert your doctor of you are suffering from any of the conditions listed below:

kidney or liver disorders

a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (also known as G6PD deficiency).

If you have any of these medical conditions you might not bee allowed to start a treatment with this drug or you may need to take in a lower dose of it. Your doctor might also want to monitor your treatment with this medicine, to see how your body reacts to the treatment.

Bactrim is a category C FDA pregnancy drug. Therefore it has not been clearly established whether the intake of this medicine during pregnancy could harm an unborn child. However, a treatment with this drug is known to affect the folic acid in the patient’s body, (this acid is absolutely necessary for the normal growth and development of a fetus). You must ask your doctor if you may start a treatment with this medicine if you are pregnant or if you are planning to be so soon. It is known that Bactrim can and does pass into breast milk. A treatment with this drug could harm a nursing child. You should ask your physician if it is safe to take this drug if you are breastfeeding an infant.

This drug is not suitable for children under 2 months old. You must not stop your treatment with this medicine even if you start to feel better after w few days of treatment. Ask your physician if it is safe to stop your intake of Bactrim. During your treatment with this medicine you should avoid exposure to direct sunlight (this is because this medicine is known to increase the skin’s sensitivity to direct sunlight).

Bactrim Intake Guidelines

Ask your doctor to tell you how, when and how much Bactrim you should take on a regular basis. You must take this drug exactly how your doctor told you to. You must try to avoid taking double doses of this medicine without your personal physician’s consent. You should accompany each dose of this medicine with a full glass of water, with food or milk (in order to avoid stomach upset). If you cannot swallow a whole tablet (pill) of Bactrim, you may crush or chew it (you can also put it in water or in a soft food – such as pudding or applesauce). In order to make sure that you take in the correct amount of this medicine (the one that your doctor has prescribed you) you should measure the dose that you are about to take in with a measuring device (a measuring spoon or a measuring cup). Such devices can be bought from a local pharmacy.

Bactrim Dosage

Your personal physician should calculate the dose of Bactrim that works best in your case.

If you suspect that you are suffering from an overdose with this drug, you are probably in need of emergency medical attention / care. Therefore, you should alert your local poison control center as soon as you can (if it is possible, you should take your drug container with you). Inform your personal physician of this. The average Bactrim overdose symptoms are vomiting, nausea, decreased appetite, headaches, diarrhea, yellowing of the eyes or of the skin, bloody urine, coma, decreased urine production, etc.

Bactrim Missed Dose

In order to get the best results from you treatment with Bactrim, you must try to take this drug (the prescribed doses of this drug) on a regular basis (at the same time each day). However, if you happen to forget to take one of your scheduled doses, you should take it as soon as you recall (then try to evenly space the rest of the day in order to take the rest of your prescribed doses of equal time intervals). If it is time for another dose, you should skip the one that you have missed.

Bactrim Side Effects

You should stop your treatment with Bactrim and seek immediate medical care in case you experience any of the severe side effects that are listed below: